There are lots of successful deer hunters this fall, and with the rut finally approaching its peak, there are likely to be many more.

So far, we have heard of several high-scoring bucks in Jefferson, Burke and Screven counties, and some of them are shown here today.

If you'd like to send us your photos, we welcome them. Again this year, we will feature some of the better bucks here on our Outdoors Page, and we are also expanding our online offering, the Sportsman's Scrapbook, where we can include all your photos -- even the ones we don't have room for in our print editions.

You can visit the scrapbook at this link: http://chronicle.augusta.com/sports/pavey/

If you want to submit a deer photo, you can e-mail it to me at rob.pavey@augustachronicle.com with details on who is shown in the photo, the county where the deer was killed, the date and any interesting measurements or details.

Below are some tips for photographing your deer. They are suggestions, not rules, but they might be helpful. Happy hunting!

Photo tips:

- Always wipe away blood around nose or mouth; if the tongue is dangling -- tuck it back in.

- Take photos BEFORE the deer is cleaned or caped.

- Take lots of photos, both close and far away and at various angles.

- Use a camera with decent resolution. Some cell phones produce images too small to print.

- A tenet of gun safety is that firearms are to be put away except when hunting. Letting children hold guns for a photo doesn't send a good message.

- Choose a well-lighted area, preferably in an outdoor setting, to pose and photograph your trophy.

- Don't photograph your deer on the floor of the deer processing place, or in your truck.

- Get close. A tight shot showing the antlers and the hunter always makes a good photo.

- Take photos in daylight when possible. If you kill your deer on an evening hunt, use a good flash.

- Smile, don't grimace. If you took a trophy buck, look happy!